


A Rebellion Reborn

by Naintarlow



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29554122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naintarlow/pseuds/Naintarlow
Summary: Before they could leave for Malachor, tragedy struck the Rebels, losing all of the Ghost crew save for Ezra and Sabine, the two struggling with finding their place in the rebellion. Years later, Dev Morgan, the smuggler running from his past, finds himself repeating it but now from a different perspective. The question is, can the spark of hope be rekindled after so long?
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Sabine Wren
Kudos: 8





	1. Past and present collide

**Author's Note:**

> I must be insane, it's hard enough to keep up with my other stories, yet here I am about to start another but this idea among many others has been sitting in my head for a while so here it is.
> 
> I really loved the Rebels show, there were some good episodes, some not so good episodes and some epic episodes and I just couldn't resist a chance to think about what would happen if Ezra lost most of the Ghost's crew and this came out of it.
> 
> Let me know what you think of it, if you like it or it's a dumb idea. I promise nothing regarding a schedule for updates since I don't want to neglect my older stories but I will steadily work on the next few chapters while I can.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Kanan Jarrus, one of the only surviving Jedi in the galaxy laughed at his padawan's words. They were watching the others as Hera, Zeb, and Sabine along with a few rebel pilots were making the Ghost and a few fighters ready for the upcoming mission. It was a routine mission, something they pulled off countless times, still, Ezra couldn't help but feel this one will be different.

They were planning to go to Malachor, to find the answer to how to defeat the sith, but instead, they chose to do one more run before that, because only their crew was available at the time.

"Don't follow your instincts blindly. A Jedi must be logical, able to see the connection between events, and not jump at every shadow." Kanan tried to say with a wise sound to it, but Ezra only looked at him a bit strangely.

"What does that even mean?"

The older man simply shrugged his shoulder, giving up trying to look like a wise Jedi.

"No idea, but Master Yoda always told me that whenever I simply followed my instincts and got into trouble." he explained as they began to walk closer to their shop.

"Seems like Master Yoda was just full of wise advice." commented Ezra with a small grin.

"He was. After all, he was the Grand Master of the Jedi Order." said Kanan solemnly, lost in memories of his youth. Ezra looked away, also saddened by the mention of the old order.

"Still," said Ezra, trying to change back the subject. "I still have a bad feeling. I should go with you." he insisted, causing his master to crack a grin.

"Nothing will happen, Ezra." he stopped before him, placing his head reassuringly on his shoulders."This is just a routine mission, you are worrying for nothing. We will be back before you know it. And until then you can work on your lightsaber forms." he told him knowingly, causing Ezra to groan quietly.

"Have a little faith in us." said Hera with a small smile as she walked up to them, with Zeb and Sabine in tow.

"I don't mind. At least I'll have a little peace and quiet at last." joked Zeb as he patted Ezra's head a little roughly.

"Get off." Ezra pushed the lasat's arm away and soon the two began to mock-wrestle much to the others' amusement.

Their fun soon ended when an alarm sounded through the base, signaling the imminent launch of ships. Rex walked up to them after he talked with a few pilots.

"General Syndulla. General Jarrus." the old clone saluted them out of pure habit. "Preparations are complete. It's time to go." he reported. Kanan and Hera shared one look before turning towards the two younger members.

"Right. See you soon." said Kanan casually, before turning around and leaving for the ship, Zeb following behind. Hera hugged both of them before she left as well.

Ezra turned towards the Mandalorian artist, an eyebrow raised in question.

"How come you're also staying back?" he asked, confused. Sabine snorted in response hearing the question he didn't ask.

"Don't get your hopes up, kid." she said before punching his shoulder lightly, causing him to cry out in mock-pain."There is a new shipment of explosives coming in and I'm the best one to oversee it." she told him before their attention was drawn to the ghost as it's engines fired up.

Ezra ran forward, seeing his master standing on the closing ramp.

"Master!" he called out, Kanan turning back in surprise."May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you as well." he replied formally, a proud smile on his face.

Sabine stood next to him as they watched the ghost take off...for the last time.

-0-

"Wake up!" an ear-grating voice ordered, throwing a bucket of water at an unconscious Ezra.

He appeared to be a few years older, the last of the baby fat finally disappeared from his face, leaving behind a little rough, but handsome face with his blue hair extremely short, looking almost bald with it. He was a little taller, his shoulders broader, looking more like a man than a kid.

He was wearing simple brown pants, with no shirt on, showing his muscled chest which was full of various scars. He was also a little bruised up, sporting a particularly big black eye on his left one.

A green, male twi'lek stood before him, glaring menacingly at him while holding a blaster to Ezra's head. He wasn't overly threatening, save for the large, vertical scar crossing his right eye and the barely controlled fury in his yellow eyes. Two big, bulky Nikto stood behind him, one of them holding an empty bucket.

"Grab him." ordered the twi'lek, his eyes never leaving the groggy Ezra's who tried to remember how he got into this situation in the first place. The Nikto grabbed his arms before they forced him onto his knees, while he tried to make his body move of its own volition with very little success.

As he got a little upright, Ezra used the opportunity to look around. They were in a rusty old room, with only a few boxes in there other than him and his captors. A quick scan around revealed there was only one exit, behind the twi'lek. His body ached everywhere, his head was killing him, with no weapons, outnumbered and nothing else to use, the odds were not in his favor. It must be Tuesday.

For his wandering attention, the boss in front of him smacked his blaster into his face, earning a small grunt of pain. Ezra spat the little blood gathered in his mouth to the side, glaring forward defiantly.

"You are not very good at the whole welcoming a guest thing, am I wrong, Grizz?" he asked with a smirk, only earning a punch to the stomach and quiet laughter from the Nikto holding him."Try to put a little more into it next time, okay? I hardly felt this one." he bluffed as he held back a wince, refusing to show any weakness. First rule of the street, don't show any weakness.

"You have a big mouth for a thief. Perhaps you should have been a comedian, instead of trying to rob me." sneered Grizz, punctuating his words with more punches.

"Last I checked, you were the one who didn't pay us. I just came to settle the debt." quipped back Ezra, getting a bloody nose for his troubles.

"Then I guess it's time I pay you, with interest." Grizz smirked evilly, leveling the blaster at the center of his forehead.

For a moment Ezra feared that he was done for, when a sudden explosion shook the whole room, causing everybody desperately to try and stay on their feet. With no blaster in his face and the hold on his arms weakening, he acted quickly. He twisted his right arm, freeing it from the grip of the Nikto before he backhanded him, giving himself room to move. He grabbed the other by his collar, throwing him straight at Grizz, who let out a stray bolt from his blaster, before dropping it, groaning under the heavy body of his henchman.

Ezra grinned to himself, but he couldn't enjoy his victory for long, because he felt a body ram into him sending the both of them bowling over. They began grappling but soon he found himself under the Nikto he forgot about, not at all comfortable. He struggled to get out, but his adversary was much stronger. Still, he was able to get in a few lucky shots to the ribs, the alien groaning in pain above him, then Ezra was able to shove him away.

He couldn't even let out a small breath in relief, before his body moved without unconscious thought, just avoiding the shot that landed precisely where his head was a moment before. Ezra tried to stand up and face his attacker, but got punched in the face instead and landed on the ground once again.

Vision spinning, he once again faced down the barrel of a gun in so many minutes. Grizz stood before him, no longer smiling, but red from anger, his henchmen up and growling at him.

"No more games! No more playing around. This ends now!" the twi'lek cried out in blind rage as he prepared to shoot him, before they all heard the all too familiar sound of a blaster being fired and Grizz dropped down to the ground, dead.

"Mocking statement: I couldn't have said it better." said a cold, mechanical voice from the direction of the door. The bodyguards dumbly turned towards the sound, too slow to realize what happened. Two more shots rang out and they joined their boss."Statement: All targets eliminated."

Ezra looked in the direction of the voice and laughed softly as he recognized a familiar shape. At first glance, it looked like a protocol Droid with durasteel Grey coloring and yellow highlights. Though it soon became clear that it was anything but harmless. It was subtle, but his chassis was reinforced heavily and it also held an older rifle model a model that was outlawed in the Core Worlds, in the middle of powering it down.

"You were cutting it a little too close, weren't you, HK?" he couldn't help but ask as he tried to stand up, but was finding it just a little bit difficult.

"Indignant Retort: I could not be held responsible for your inferior meatbag chassis to fail you after so little applied brunt trauma." the droid retorted even as he walked over to Ezra and helped him up."Statement: I was able to complete all aspects of the plan in a timely manner, Master."

"Where would I be without you, HK-51?" joked Ezra as he leaned on the Droid as they exited the room.

"Statement: You would have been terminated long ago, Master." explained HK matter of factly, his yellow receptors looking almost mockingly at him.

"We have to talk sometime about that humor of yours." commented Ezra a little fondly, remembering another Droid with questionable humor. "Come on, let's get the crates and back to our ship before someone like the empire decides to swoop in and take everything." he urged.

If he could HK would have rolled his receptors."Dry Statement: I'm the one carrying you."

Ezra couldn't help but grin to himself.

-0-

Ezra couldn't help but grin to himself. He was finally able to convince Ahsoka to show him a few lightsaber moves, citing that he wanted to learn even when Kanan was not here. She relented showing an elaborate, athletic string of moves. It was very different from how Kanan and he fought, making it an interesting challenge for him to master.

He was training in the hangar bay, under the supervision of Ahsoka while she talked with Rex about a few upcoming operations. He put everything into it, trying to block out the bad feeling that tormented him ever since the Ghost left. Still, he didn't let it affect his performance, especially not in front of Ahsoka.

"Seems like you are getting the moves quicker than I would have thought. Good work." complimented the former Jedi with a smile as she looked away from Rex to show she was watching.

"Thanks. These moves feel more natural, easier to get a hang of." Ezra positively beamed at the praise. He liked when Kanan praised him, his master liked to not make his ego bigger so praise from him was sparse as is, but praise from Ahsoka after he saw her beat 2 inquisitors without breaking a sweat, was quite a big deal.

He attempted to run through it once again when a cold feeling gripped his heart. It was different compared to what he felt near Vader and his inquisitors. Instead of hate, anger, and fear he felt nothing but saddening emptiness.

Ezra faltered in his movements, lightsaber dropping out of his hands. For a moment he felt he was seven years old again, at the night where the empire came and took away his parents. His vision darkened, and suddenly he found himself at the Ghost's cockpit hearing Hers hurriedly giving orders to Chopper, Kanan, and Zeb busy operating the turrets, tie fighters around them everywhere.

A hand touched his shoulder tentatively, dragging him out of his vision.

"Ezra?" Ahsoka peered down at him worriedly, her expression pained.

"They are in danger." was all he said before he took off running towards the command center.

"Ezra, wait." Ahsoka called after him but was ignored. She and Rex took off after him.

He dodged soldiers and pilots as he ran through the corridors, calling out apologies. He soon reached the command center, where Commander Sato was working along with a few technicians.

"Bridger, what are you doing? " Sato asked, shocked when Ezra burst through the door, almost running into one of his men who tried to exit.

"Sorry but this is urgent, Commander." he looked frantic, the feeling inside him growing every minute. "It's the Ghost. They are in danger, you have to get them back."

"What do you mean the Ghost is in danger?" asked the Commander, looking at Ezra incredulously. He was cut off when the comm sparked into life and Hera's voice spoke up.

"Phoenix Base, this is Phoenix leader. Our convoy was ambushed by three Imperial star destroyers. Request immediate backup. Phoenix 3 and 4 form up behind me, watch the flanks." her voice faded into background noise as the sounds of fighting took over.

Everyone stared at the comm, completely shocked. They found no trace of imperial activity in that sector, that run was virtually risk-free. Rex was the first who was able to shake it off, quickly giving orders to the people around.

"Don't just stand around gaping." he snapped at them."Quickly, get a fix on their position and get the A-wings ready."

Sato got over his shock, sending a thankful nod to the clone.

"You heard the Captain. To your stations!" he ordered his men who quickly moved to relay the orders.

Ezra turned around, intent on rushing to a fighter and joining the rescue squad, but Ahsoka stopped him with a firm grip on his shoulder.

"Let me go. I have to save them." he argued even as he internally fought against the alarmingly growing emptiness within him.

"Ezra, you can't help them if you rush into danger without thinking first." Ahsoka was calm and controlled, even if he could still see the same worry in her eyes.

Any possible answers were cut off as the comm once again roared to life, this time Kanan's worry-filled voice coming through.

"Hera, get us out of here! Something is happening. Something that isn't supposed to." the Jedi's voice shook and it took a lot to frighten him.

"What in the name of-" one of the other pilots began to say before he was suddenly cut off, nothing but static coming from the comm.

"The Empire must be jamming communications." Sato's level-headed voice cut through their shock."We must restore them quickly."

"Sir," a technician addressed him hesitantly, after checking a few screens."It's not just communications. All of our sensors gave out negative readings. It's as if they disappeared without a trance."

Before the Commander could react to this information, a loud cry caught their attention. Ezra collapsed to his knees, clinging to Ahsoka who also kneeled down and tried to calm him.

"They're gone, they're gone, they're gone, they're gone... "he sobbed uncontrollably, looking every bit like the far too young man he was.

Ahsoka looked up at Rex and Sato, her eyes just as distraught as the boy she was holding.

"Their signatures in the Force..." her voice cracked as tears began to flow from her eyes. "They disappeared as if they never existed."

Ezra continued to sob even as Sato ordered a rescue crew to be put together.

-0-

"Question: Master, are you coming?" HK's question pierced through the haze of memories that assaulted him.

Ezra threw his head back, eyes closed as he took a breath of the night air. They just exited Grizz's ship, HK pushing a trolley full of cargo they found aboard the ship, and Ezra followed after him, fully clothed.

He wore a little faded, orange jacket over a black t-shirt. The jacket had a high collar, just stopping below his chin, though it was open, showing a small, blue crystal he wore as a necklace, that seemed to light up on its own. He also had a very nice looking blaster hanging from his belt, a trophy of Grizz that the twi'lek no longer had any need for.

Ezra exhaled sharply, dismissing the old memories he had not wanted to revisit at all. Most of the time he was unsuccessful without copious amounts of alcohol, a simple reminder or just a tentative touch of the Force sent him back to those days, no matter how much he wanted to stay away.

"Yeah, coming." he said distractedly and began to follow the droid.

It was already night out in the always moving moon of Nar Shaddaa. Various lowlife traded and fought with each other every day, refugees hiding from the empire or their own shady past. Everybody here had something to hide and because of that, the Empire could never have a sizable presence here. That did not mean there were no patrols and Ezra and HK had to be careful lest they run into them. They had enough problems as it is. Other residents hardly blinked at the duo, more than used to it. He had no doubt that no more than five minutes after they left, scavengers would be already over what possessions remained on the ship.

They walked along in silence for a while, thankfully they had run into no imperials. Ezra stopped them, however, when they walked past the cantina, the sound of fighting and cheering escaping along with the music.

"You know what?" he asked with a smirk, HK looking at him stoically."Why don't you deliver the goods to the Grace while I have a drink?"

"Objection: The Captain told us to go to the ship directly in case-" Ezra quickly cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"You worry too much. A few drinks and I'll be on the way. What is the worst that could happen?" he joked as he walked towards the cantina.

He left the droid behind, not wanting to hear any more objections. With a carefree grin, he walked into the buzzing cantina, ready to dull that all too familiar feeling in the back of his head.

Just as he stepped in, he had to quickly step away, just to avoid a falling body.

Looking around the fight seemed to be on its last legs. A large wookie with black fur, a bandoleer around his chest, and a heavy-looking pauldron on his right shoulder stood in the center, growling in challenge and surrounded by upturned tables and unconscious men. There seemed to be a few trandoshan amongst them. The rest who still were on their feet looked less ready to continue and more like trying to figure out a way to drag their mates away without losing a few limbs.

Other than that lot, a small bith band played music, uninterrupted and completely used to things like that happening. A Devaronian nursed his drink alone in a dark corner and a pair of Ithorians argued about something in low voices near the entrance.

With a smile he began to navigate towards the bar, giving a wide berth as well as a nod in greeting to the wookie, who most people only called Griff. Griff was a regular here and only idiots and newcomers were brave enough to challenge him. He worked for the Black Sun, had a fearsome reputation as one of their enforcers. But overall he was a pretty decent guy outside of his job, quite an interesting drinking buddy, and a terrific pazaak player. Though he could be quite a sore loser.

The bartender, a four-armed, bulky reptilian alien named Silk, already waited for him with a glass of his special ale, Ezra's usual with a toothy grin on his scarred face. Nobody knew the name of his species and it was a running joke about his usual patrons that he guarded this secret more fiercely than even the recipe of his special drink.

"Well if it isn't the most reckless human in this whole sector." Silk greeted him cheerily, putting down the glass he was polishing."Looks like the news of your death were just a little bit aggravated. Guess it calls for a celebration."

Ezra took the full glass with a sly smile, downing it down in one gulp as he took a seat.

"Ah, that's just what I needed. A shot of your famous ale for free. Balm to my wounded soul."

"What do you mean for free?" Silk made an affronted face at that one."Oh no, it's going into your tab. If I were to give you a free drink every time you almost die, I would be broke in a week."

The both of them began to laugh merrily, the bartender reaching over the bar to pat his arm fondly with one of his gigantic hands. They talked with each other while Griff kicked out the last group that tried their luck against him and ordered a whole bottle to himself with the credits he liberated from his attackers before he took a seat at his usual table in the middle of the cantina.

After he served his latest patron, Silk turned towards him, a serious glint in his eye.

"It's quite lucky that you came by right now. I have a shall we say interesting job on my hands that I wouldn't dare give to some run-of-the-mill spacer that was looking for a job. It's more suited for a crew with a delicate touch and moral creativity if you catch my drift. Of course, it pays handsomely."

Ezra couldn't help but smirk at Silk as he sipped his third drink.

"You said the magic words. What the job?"

"I knew I could count on you. The job came from a visiting Hutt 'ambassador' if you know what I mean. He got into some trouble with local imperial forces and they confiscated his-" Silk was taking, but his voice faded into the background as a familiar feeling reared inside his head.

It was a long time since Ezra last felt truly connected to the Force. Nowadays he avoided it like a plague, did all to block that constant connection, turning to alcohol when it didn't work. It was easier than facing the fact that he was alone, no teacher, no guide to help him and only his various failures to show up for it.

Yet try as he might, he couldn't resist when something familial reared up inside him. It felt as if he was once again a little loth-rat meeting Kanan for the first time. This feeling was the same as that time, yet completely different. It was hard to make sense of it.

His head moved without conscious thought, his attention was being pulled in the direction of the entrance. The pull was not so strong that he couldn't have resisted if he wanted to, but it was so inviting, so comforting, like an old friend he hadn't seen in years.

As he gave in and turned his head, he blinked once and once again for good measure at the picture before him.

In the entrance of the cantina, a young girl stood, looking unsure and hesitant, head turning across the room, searching for something. She couldn't have been older than Ezra when he first met the Ghost's crew, short and lithe, but she didn't look malnourished. He would know, living on the street wasn't easy on his weight for the first few years. She wore modest, though slightly weary clothes, but she didn't look like either a street urchin or a slave.

But the most noticeable thing about her was the crimson veil that went down only to her eyes, while also covering the top of her head, with only a few locks of black hair poking out. It was easy to see even from this distance that the material of the cloth was thick enough to prevent being able to see through it. Aside from that, there was nothing outstanding about the girl, yet Ezra couldn't tear his gaze away from her like he was supposed to know her.

When he noticed one of the previously beaten up, scarred trandoshan menacingly walking towards her, he couldn't help but let out a sigh, so much for relaxing.

"Excuse me for a moment buddy." he cut off Silk who continued to talk, not realizing Ezra did not hear a word he said."Got to play the part of the mysterious, dashing spacer." with that he stood up and quickly went in the direction of the girl, careful not to spook the obviously drunk reptilian.

By the time he reached them, the trandoshan was already next ti the girl, who stepped back, but there was no real worry on her face, she seemed curious more than anything.

"Young fleshy thing should make itself scare or something bad would happen to it." Ezra did not have the greatest knowledge of the trandoshan language, add to that how he slurred his words, he only got the gist of it. Still, it was more than enough to confirm that he needed to step in.

He was quick to step next to them, throwing an arm around the lizard, careful not to do anything remotely threatening.

"Hey, didn't we run together for that one job on Gamorr?" he asked, hoping that he was drunk enough to believe it."Man, that one was one awkward job I tell you. Why don't I buy you a drink, friend and talk about what happened to you since then." he said while he tried to steer him towards the bar

But the hunter did not appreciate being told what to do, not even the promise of a free drink working like it should have. He pushed Ezra's arm away and glared at him, though from the way his eyes didn't stay firmly on him, he probably saw at least three Ezras before him.

"I'm not your friend, soft fleshy thing, out of my way." he roared, trying to push Ezra away, but he missed, almost falling on his face in the progress.

Ezra only shrugged, a smirk on his face.

"Well, I tried to be diplomatic for once." he said before kicking the drunken trandoshan in the groin, taking him off guard. As he hunched forward in pain, Ezra did not stop for a moment, grabbing his head and throwing him into the nearest table. With an audible thud, the skull and table collided, the alien going unconscious in the process.

His friends stood up, snarling at him, but a gruff growl from a still seated Griff quickly changed their mind, making them sit back and glare at him with hate. Ezra threw a thankful nod to the wookie before looking at the girl, a gentle smile on his face.

"Don't mind him, these brutes are always looking for a fight. But you should get out of here, it's not a place for a kid your age. See you around, kid." with his good deed for the day done, he turned away, intending to go back to Silk and iron out that job at last before hammering himself until the nagging feeling in the back of his neck went away.

"You are like me." her voice was soft and not at all accusing, yet her simple words caused him to freeze in place and look back at her cautiously. She was looking right at him, though he could not see her eyes, he clearly felt the weight of them."You lost so much. Your family, your home, your purpose. You ran because that was the only thing you could do or else the darkness would take you away. So you closed yourself and your connection to the world off. Yet, it feels as if we are alike. Alone, in this cold, empty universe." she seemed to shudder in the end, then began to look around as if she was not sure where she was or how she got there. But Ezra was not in a state of mind to care about that.

A myriad of emotions ran through him and his body went to his default response when he didn't want to deal with something. He ran away.

Not even trying to say anything to the girl, or talk to Silk, he simply took off, heedless of where he was going, only knowing that he needed to get away.

Because it was easier than facing the truth. He was alone.

-9-

He felt as if the emptiness he felt inside could swallow him up any minute and he hardly felt he had the strength to do anything about it. He remembered in his first few trips into space, how cold the vast, empty space could feel, but it was nothing like what he felt now. He only felt this empty after he lost his birth parents.

He tried to not linger on the thought that the way they treated him and Sabine to an extent, Hera and Kanaan were like their parents. In that scenario, Zeb could have easily been the annoying Uncle or something like that and Chop the annoying little brother, but not even that thought was able to cheer him up. They were not here.

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts, reminding him that he was not truly alone. Sabine looked at him with worry, her eyes tired and sad at the same. She did not cry, not until they had absolute proof about the fate of the Ghost and even then no one will see her cry openly. She was a tough girl like that.

She did not bother asking him if he was alright, both of them were aware of the answer. She was still in a better state of mind than Ezra, though she freaked out when she heard the news, she still felt some hope. Unlike Ezra, who never knew how wrong everything felt without his master's reassuring presence in the force, like a hole that could never be filled. It gave him a new respect for Kanan who lost his master at the end of the clone wars. But that respect soon turned into despair as he had no diea how he could go forward with that emptiness.

He saw the defeated slump of Sato's shoulders even as he pushed his command ship to the brink, the unfocused eyes of Ahsoka whose attention from time to time wandered to him, utterly lost and the pain behind Rex's tough facade.

All he could do was sit with the others, waiting to drop out of hyperspace along with a small group of rebel fighters coming along as escorts, at the coordinates where they last heard from the Ghost. Or the Imperial ships that were able to ambush them.

With a sudden lurch, the blue shade of the hyperspace faded away from their view, the vast emptiness of the universe greeting them. All of them looked around trying to find something, anything that could tell what happened to their friends.

But they found nothing at all. There were no ships, no wreckage of any kind. It was as if there weren't any ships here, to begin with.

"What do the sensors say?" asked Sato, keeping calm for the crew's sake. There were lots of residues that could be used to track or at least determine what happened to a ship after a space battle.

"We are not picking up anything, sir." said one of the technicians, leaning over a screen, completely bewildered.

"How can this be? There should be something." asked angrily Sabine, before Rex placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"Whatever took them, it took away everything else from here." spoke up Ahsoka, her cryptic words confusing them.

"What do you mean by that, Commander?" the aging soldier asked, trying to remain level-headed in place of the others.

Instead of answering she looked at Ezra, who had a tired acceptance in his eyes. Despite his age, he was far too old in mind to blindly hope that in spite of everything his family would turn up alright. When his parents were taken he was able to secretly keep hoping for years, but not now. He just felt too tired.

When Ahsoka didn't elaborate after several seconds, he chose to voice it himself.

"This whole place is empty, more like devoid of everything." the others looked at him, not understanding. He frowned, trying to form the right words."Even the Force feels different here like there is a hole in the fabric of reality."

The former Jedi gave a solemn nod, understanding what he meant. The others gave a sort of blank look, which they tended to give Kanan or Ahsoka when they talked about the Force.

Nonetheless, they understood the gist of it. According to the two force users, there was no way they could find their missing friends. Ezra could only stare blankly out of the ship to the empty void as he felt Sabine lean against him, trying to hold back the crushing sadness she felt. But through the Force he still felt it, feeding his own helplessness, until it became too much.

He didn't remember much after that.

-0-

He didn't really remember how, but he ended up in an alley, not far from the hangar where their ship docked, leaning on the wall as he tried to get his breath back. His sides hurt, reminding him of the injuries he received earlier that day, his head pounded, telling him that it was not a good idea, to run a few miles after having a few of the stronger drinks Silk had in his bar.

He shouldn't have freaked out like that. He was better than that. But all day he remembered old memories, that he tried his best to bury deep enough to forget. He shouldn't have run, but he was caught off guard and responded with the oldest instinct he had. He ran just like that time.

He felt a humorless chuckle force it's way up. He should've known better, escaping the will of the force is not an easy task.

He sat there, in the dark alley for a while, trying to calm his beating heart, doing the closest thing to meditation he could do these days. Finally, he regained enough strength, to place a cocky, but still fake smirk over his place and make his way back to the ship, ready for the tongue lashing he had no doubt he would receive.

No one looked his way when he stepped out of the alley and approached the hangar. Oh, he was sure someone was keeping tabs on him, everyone was under surveillance in Nar Shaddaa, by the Hutts, by some criminal organizations, or even the empire. The key was to not anger any one of them enough to want you out of the picture. They may keep an eye on him and his crew, but at least they did not send any assassins after them.

Stepping into the hangar he let himself linger a little to eye the ship coming into his view with due appreciation. The Silent Grace was an XS stock light freighter, not a beauty in a conventional sense, but marvelous all the same. It was a relatively small model of starship. The vessel had a saucer-shaped body, pale blue plating, and a blunt cockpit with a narrow viewport that jutted forward from the ship's center. The aft of the freighter featured a heavily armored hull with a pair of sublight engines, and the craft was armed with two dorsal and two port-side laser cannons. Both Aleena and him heavily repaired and modified the ship since the former acquired it in questionable circumstances. As he marveled at the sight, he thought of how many times this ship saved his life. Of course, the ship wouldn't be able to do half the things she did, without her equally beautiful captain.

Speaking of her, just as he expected she was waiting for him, standing at the end of the open ramp, hands on her waist looking more like an annoyed mother than a teenage smuggler. Aleena Taira was a togruta a year younger than him. When they first met, around sixteen months ago, she was already famous as a reckless, daredevil spacer, who succeeded at the riskiest jobs and made what others thought impossible, child's play. She already had an in into the circles of the wealthiest customers, only needed a crew capable of keeping up with her. Luckily for her, she and Ezra crossed paths at a job, which ended with the two of them blowing up a refinery, before being chased by the Empire through 4 systems. Since then, they agreed to stick together.

Many people fell for her charm, with good reasons. She had a very exotic look, with dark orange skin and white lines skirting her cheekbones and jaw. She had sharp, almond-shaped green eyes, that could charm the most xenophobic imperial, and she was very aware of it, abusing it quite often. Her lekku was short just reaching her shoulders and had light blue stripes. She had a lithe, athletic body that many dancers could kill for.

She usually wore military boots, black pants with her two beloved blasters strapped to her outer thighs. She wore a very small, black top, that looked more like a bra, giving her a generous cleavage and exposing her midriff. She had a dark purple jacket over it, that she tended to leave open and wore a few tribal accessories on her lekku.

They did not talk about each other's past, they came to this silent agreement quite early on in their partnership. It worked for both of them, and Ezra felt no need to change this.

Ignoring the pounding of his head, he walked up to Aleena, a confident smirk on his face, that could charm the pants off of many women, but they knew each other well enough that they were immune to the other's charm.

"Hey, Captain. How are you on this fine day?" he asked as a shiver of nervousness ran through him at the disapproving look he got.

"Oh, I don't know. My partner just up and left in the middle of an operation to go drink himself under the bar." she answered sarcastically, looking him over, raising a simple eyebrow in the end. "You look well enough considering where you were playing prisoner and you are not as hammered as I thought you would be. Come on, you have a visitor." she said, turning around and entering the ship, giving Ezra no choice but to follow.

"You are talking about me as if I was a drunkard." he complained even as he followed her in. "If I remember right I carried you away from bars far more often than you had to bail me out...wait, what visitor?'' The last part of her sentence registered just as they entered into the holo table room, skirting around HK who was in the middle of running a maintenance check on the ship.

Upon entering he was met with the sight of the strange girl from earlier sitting at the table, sipping some kind of juice that HK or Aleena must have given to her. Noticing him, she turned towards him and Ezra had to hold back the urge to fidget as shame, an all too familiar pain, and apprehension filled him. He felt uncomfortable under her too observant gaze, even if he was not sure if she even had eyes to stare with, in the traditional sense. After all, the galaxy was vast and full of strange things.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, fighting the urge to get out of there. She unnerved him, made him relieve memories he tried not to dwell on. It might not have been conscious on her part, but she had a presence that was hard to ignore.

"The nice bartender, Silk gave me directions to find you. I've been looking for you." Ezra tensed, not really liking when anyone looked for him. Then she smiled and suddenly she looked a lot younger and a lot less unnerving. "Hello, Dev Morgan."

Hearing the name she used, Ezra visibly relaxed. Dev Morgan was the alias he used to infiltrate the stormtrooper academy back at Lothal so long ago and was the alias he was known by nowadays. Let Ezra Bridger disappear, it was better for anybody involved. It eased his mind a lot, knowing she was looking for him, not the rebel Jedi padawan, but the reckless scoundrel.

"You know my name, but I don't know yours. Who are you? And what do you need me for?" he asked, a little more rude than he was used to. Aleena at his side sent him a questioning look but was ignored.

The young girl didn't seem offended by his tone and simply picked up the cup she was drinking from before letting it go, but it didn't fall to the floor. Instead, it remained where it was, hovering in the air.

"What in the?" gasped Aleena, mystified by the sight. Ezra was also shocked but he forced his face to remain impassive, even as his heart began to hammer in his chest as a familiar feeling seemed to fill in the air, one he really didn't want to feel ever again.

"My name is Mia Lun, a mirakula. I am hunted by the Empire for what I am. My parents tried to hide me for years, but the Empire found out and they...'' her voice cracked and she let out a quiet sob, hugging herself. Neither of them needed to ask what happened, they were familiar enough with the empire's methods. Forgetting her wariness, the togruta captain was quick to sit down next to her and give her a hug in support. After a few seconds she calmed down and continued speaking, peering at Ezra who simply stood there."Rebels found me and rescued me. But we were pursued and they were taken prisoner. Their leader told me to look for Dev Morgan that you can help me find the Jedi master who would train me." she said, her tone hopeful and scared at the time.

"Who told you that?" he asked with narrowed eyes, doing his best to ignore Aleena's curious eyes. Just because someone belonged to the rebellion didn't necessarily make them a good or moral person. His latest run-in with Saw Gerrera saw to that. That man was an extremist no matter what standard you hold yourself to. He wouldn't exactly call him a bad or a good person either but he was one he couldn't trust to watch his back, that's for sure.

"Captain Rex." she said and he couldn't help but smile at the mention of the old clone. He remained behind him after the loss of his master, believing him even when he could do it no longer for himself, and in the end, he let him down. Despite this, he still remembered him fondly as his soldier trainer and later friend.

"Rex is still kicking around, huh?" he asked with a touch of surprise as he walked over and took a seat, looking at Mia with intrigue. "But what Jedi could I lead you to? They are dead, all of them. Rex would know, he was there when the last of them fell." he told her, with an uncaring front, even if dark memories stirred deep in his mind.

The girl looked crestfallen at his words but quickly schooled her expressions. It was clear she spent at least a bit of time on the streets by herself, but not enough to mask her emotions so well that he wouldn't notice the slip-up.

"He said his name is Ezra Bridger." she told him, and he gained a faraway look in his eyes as he remembered another life, where he trained to be a Jedi, where he wasn't running from himself, from what lies deep in his heart.

"Ezra Bridger. That's a name I haven't heard a long time ago." he mused before shaking his head. "Sorry, but he wouldn't be able to teach you. He is a coward, too interested in staying alive rather than doing anything for anybody." he told her and tried not to feel shame at crushing her hopes. It wasn't necessarily a lie, but it still burned him inside, knowing that neither Kanan nor Hera would have been proud of him. He disliked himself more than enough for all of them.

"But then what should I do?" Mia asked him, having no idea how she should proceed from here.

Ezra looked long and hard at the girl he should have taken as his padawan, just like his master did, but he simply wasn't able. He couldn't trust himself with guiding her in the ways of the force. Not that he could. Blind leading a blind could only end in a disaster.

"For starters, you tell me about how Rex was captured, tell me everything you know." he said to her, making the young girl tilt her head, clearly confused "Then, we can form a plan to rescue him and his men." he hated how good it felt seeing a hopeful smile on her face.

He knew he was gonna hear an earful about this from Aleena but he owed the old soldier at least this much.


	2. Darkness of the past, light of the future

"Since when are we so selfless and good-natured, to try and break out a couple of rebels, from an imperial prison in the middle of Nar Shadaa?" Aleena asked a tad sarcastically as she sat down across the holo table and scrutinized him as she waited for him to answer.

Dev Morgan, as she knew him, was always an enigma to her, an enigma she chose not to solve until now. He respected her enough not to ask about her past and she did the same in return. Yet, now it all seemed that the temptation was too much to ignore.

He looked tired, not physically, despite the beating he went through earlier that day. He was always like that, at first glance he was lazy, uncaring, always joking, never taking anything seriously but the truth couldn't farther from the truth, he cared too much. But now he was drained, watching the depowered holo table with a look that told her he was somewhere far, far away right now.

They sent the girl, Mia to one of the unused rooms to sleep, since it was obvious she was barely staying awake after they gave her a little food which she quickly ate with the ferocity of a starving child. HK was sent to run a diagnostic of the ship since whatever the outcome of the little plan will be that her partner thought up, it was obvious they will have to bail out of Nar Shaddaa and the whole sector as fast as possible.

She wasn't sure what she thought of Mia and her almost impossible to believe powers, other than shock. Sure, she heard many tales about the Jedi and their command of the world around them but she always dismissed those tales, yet there they were in her face. She supposed she was mostly curious to see what would that mean in a galaxy where every remnant of the old republic, a republic she never knew was hunted down and silenced.

"Do you remember Perugia IV?" he asked quietly, prompting her to look at him. She frowned, remembering the disaster that work was, and simply nodded, silently telling him to get on with it. "I'm calling in that favor now. I owe a lot to Rex and I don't tend to leave a debt unpaid. At least to people I like." he added with a weak smile at the end but he didn't manage to reassure her a bit.

Whenever a riskier work or something personal came up that they needed help from the other but couldn't or wouldn't explain the reasons, they gave each other a favor to use in a similar situation. They were partners, call in the favor, get the job done, no questions asked. It was not the perfect solution but it worked for them and strangely it gave birth to a sense of trust between them.

"Never thought you were the sentimental type." she commented, though in hindsight it made sense. He acted like nothing but himself was his priority but they ran into enough trouble because of his random acts of kindness to knew he had a soft spot for street kids in particular. That was just like Dev, he would act the part of the cutthroat, careless thug with ease then go and free a couple of slaves, forcing them to bail out of the middle of a shoot out."You were a rebel?" she asked curiously, deciding to cut into the matter at hand.

She didn't have anything against the rebels, she even agreed with their agenda somewhat and silently cheered them on. But she was too attached to her life to join and risk it in a near hopeless endeavor. She couldn't see Dev as someone who would choose to join them.

"A long time ago. When I was a different man." he said, unconsciously lifting his hand, touching the faint scars just below his left eye. Aleena always wondered how he got them, it was too even and smooth to get it from an ordinary knife.

He looked to the side, watching something that only he could see. He stayed silent for a long moment before he gave out a small, humorless laugh.

"Back then I thought one man can make the difference. That I had a path to follow. In the end, I had to learn that nothing I did, mattered in the long run."

The togruta pilot wanted to press on, to learn some facts but she knew her partner well enough to recognize the look he wore. No matter how hard she pressed he wouldn't budge, not now.

"And what about this Jedi?" she asked, deciding to change the subject while also fulfilling her curiosity.

She was caught off-guard when a dark look appeared on Dev's face briefly before he controlled himself. Dev was a contrary person and nothing showed it better than today.

"I would hardly call him a Jedi. Let's just stay he didn't really live up to the hype and in the end, he bailed out, disappearing into the galaxy." he shook his head as if dispelling bad memories. "After a while, I wisened up as well and left. Not much later we run into each other and the rest is history."

"Yet you still want to help this Rex?" she asked back with a raised eyebrow, curious about who this Rex was to him.

Her partner stood up and took a few steps away from the table, bringing a hand up to his head. It was a strange habit of his as if he was used to longer hair that he wanted to brush aside, despite ever since she knew him, Dev made sure to keep his hair very short.

"That's different. Rex saved my life countless times and he helped me, gave me directions when I didn't know where to go. When I decided to leave the rebellion, he caught me just as I was about to left. He didn't report me, didn't try to change my mind. He only told me to stay safe." he explained in a faraway voice, a small smile on his face. It was, strange seeing him like that, usually, he was very guarded with deeper emotions. "I owe him a lot and I'm not the type of person to leave a debt unpaid." he turned back to her with a small smile just as she opened her mouth. "That time on Ord Mantell doesn't count."

"Sometimes you worry me, you know?" she commented as she watched him with a small smile."There are times when you are as cutthroat as any scoundrel worth their salt on the Outer Rim but other times you just, I wouldn't call it naive but you want to believe the best in people. It's hard to reconcile the two people in my mind. And now you tell me that you were a rebel too? You are just full of secrets that I would love nothing more than uncover." she added with a seductive smile but they knew each other well enough that Dev only chuckled at her.

"That's part of my charm." he said with a laugh before grabbing his jacket that he took off earlier and began to walk toward the door. "Be back in a few." he called back to her with a lazy wave.

"Where are you going?"

"Well, I never liked being nostalgic with a clear head, so I'm gonna do what I couldn't do before. Get to the bar and get hammered." he said with a grin as he exited the room. "I'll be back by morning for the scouting."

"Just don't get yourself arrested, again. Or with a new bounty on your head." she called after him, shaking her head at his behavior.

"Hey, there's a chance I will meet an unlikely ally or something. What's the worst that could happen?" Dev laughed before the sound of the ship's ramp lowering was heard. Soon only Aleena was left alone, wondering how big of a mess did she need to haul her partner out next.

-0-

"Ezra, what are you doing still sleeping? Get up, time for some Jedi training." Kanan's slightly irate voice roused him from his sleep, causing him to sit up in shock.

"I'm up! I'm up!" he cried out as he tried to get out of the bed but his legs got tangled in the sheets, causing him to fall to the side of the bed with a huge thud.

He began to nurse his head but stopped after a moment when he realized it didn't hurt as much it should have. Usually, he slept in the top bunk above Zeb so falling down from there, should have been more than painful not to mention piss off Zeb. Opening his eyes, he frowned as he found himself in an empty, grey room that looked nothing like their shared room on the Ghost.

"Hey, Kanan, why am I not in the-" he trailed off as he looked around and noticed his master was nowhere in sight and he was completely alone in the small room.

At once the events of yesterday came pouring in, the reality he didn't want to believe in dawned on him. He remembered saying goodbye to his master, the bad feeling, the distress signal that came while he was training, the run to the rescue, only to find nothing, absolutely nothing.

His back hit the side of the bed as he pulled his legs up and rested his head on his knees. He tried to calm himself down, to feel the Force and reach out and find something, anything that could confirm that what he felt yesterday was wrong, that his master, his family didn't disappear without a trace.

Yet, even the Force let him down, feeling no trace of his master, his family, as if they never existed. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, there was no escaping the truth. There will be no more arguing with Zeb about the most significant things, pranking Zeb and each other with Chopper, no motherly advice from Hera, and no guidance from his reckless master. And worst of all, Ezra had no idea where to go from here.

He had no idea how long he sat on the cold floor, curled and trying his best to deny reality but sooner or later he had to face the rest of the world. A gentle knock on his door broke him out of his thought, only giving him time to quickly wipe away the few tears that escaped, before with a small sound it opened.

Rex stepped into the room, giving him a concerned look. For once, the old clone wasn't wearing his slightly outdated armor, instead, he was wearing fatigues similar to what he saw other rebels in Atollon wear from time to time.

Ezra didn't react to his presence, turning his head back and continuing to stare at the wall in front of him. With a sigh, Rex wandered over next to him, sitting down on the edge of the bed, putting a hand on the young rebel's shoulder.

"How are you doing, kid?" he asked softly, finding nothing better to say, especially knowing how little words could help in a situation like this.  
Ezra didn't answer, continuing to stare ahead. He liked Rex, yet now he didn't want him to be here. He wanted Kanan, to have him tell him that everything will be alright, that he didn't lose his family a second time. He wanted this nightmare to end.

"Kid, I," Rex hesitated, trying to find the right words."I know it's not easy, losing people. I lost many people, comrades, friends, brothers. It's especially bad when you know that there was nothing you could have done that could have changed the outcome. You want nothing more than to hole up and just pretend nothing happened, but it doesn't help kid. Trust me, I spent 15 years, pretending that the Jedi, the Republic, and everything I stood for haven't been destroyed by the Empire. I stayed away from the fighting, simply living because I thought nothing remained from what I stood for."

"Then what changed?" Ezra asked back in a small voice, still not facing the old clone. In response, Rex gave a small, sad smile as he patted the kid on the hand, for not getting a groan of annoyance in response.

"I met a very brave kid who was not afraid to stand up against injustice, who wanted to help people. Along with him came a strange ragtag group, led by a Jedi of all things that showed that the ideas I believed in, the ideas of the Republic were not dead." Ezra raised his head and looked at him, the very beginnings of a smile on his lips, eyes shining with tears."I felt like I once again fought the good fight, with a Jedi on my side who I would trust with my life. For the first time in almost twenty years, I felt hope. That Jedi was you."

Rex slowly stood up, looking down at the kid who was too young to be in a war, because that what this whole rebellion was, a war. A war for the freedom of people and because old folk like him failed when they had their chance, it fell on the shoulders of kids like him to correct their blunder.

"I'm not saying you should act like nothing happened. Grieve, remember them for the brave and passionate people they were, and do them proud. You are not alone Ezra, don't forget that. You still got Sabine, Ahsoka, me, and everyone here who is fighting for Lothal, for all the oppressed worlds." he told him, speaking from the bottom of his heart.

For a long moment, Ezra looked at his hand, deep in thought. He thought about the first days after his parents were taken by the Empire, the hopelessness he felt. He compared it to how lost he felt right now and he had to admit, unlike that time when he had no one to turn to, no one to trust, he wasn't alone. He had so many people who wanted to help, that he would let Kanan down if he didn't try to go on.

Finally coming to a decision, he grabbed the outstretched hand, letting Rex help him stand up, while he used his other hand to not so subtly wipe away the few remaining tears.

"You are right. I don't know how, but I will try. To make them proud." he answered with a small voice, the very beginning of a smile appearing on his lips.

"Don't worry, they are already proud." Rex said as he gently patted his shoulder, turning around and slowly herding him out of the room."Come on let's get you something to eat. You probably didn't eat since yesterday's breakfast."

Now that he mentioned it, Ezra's stomach growled, causing the young boy to avert his blushing face even as the old captain snorted in amusement. Hands reflexively reaching down to his belt, finding the comfortable grip of his lightsaber, he gave it a squeeze, silently promising Kanan he will do his best before he let Rex lead him toward the cafeteria.

They didn't talk on the way, both of them preferring to stew in their thoughts for a while. They encountered a few people on the way but all of them looked disheartened, downtrodden. When they caught sight of him they bowed their head in respect but quickly looked away, finding something else to do. Ezra frowned at the strange treatment but understood a moment later.

Kanan, Hera, their whole group was well-known, especially here in Chopper base. Everyone knew that he and Kanan were Jedi, one of the last surviving ones, and that put a lot of expectations on them. He caught the revered looks sent his way before as if people excepted him and Kanan to lead the whole rebellion right to the Emperor's doorstep. Their group was also the spearhead of the movement, finding Attolon, and leading so many missions that came out relatively successful. It was understandable that their whole cell felt their absence.

A moment later he felt the large weight settle on his shoulders. There were no Kanan, no Hera, no Zeb, not even Chopper. If before people looked at them to lead them, will they now look at him? But how could he do something like that when he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to do, without his master to guide him.

He abruptly stopped walking and placed a hand on the wall to steady himself, feeling faint all of a sudden. He felt, more than heard Rex stop next to him in worry as he tried to control his breathing. He couldn't it, he had no idea what to do. They were supposed to leave with Ahsoka, Kanan and him, to find the answer they sought for so long. The answer to stopping the Sith once and for all.

Ahsoka. His head shot up and finally, he found breathing so much easier. He was not alone, Ahsoka, while stating explicitly she was not a Jedi, she was the only one who could teach him. And she fought for the rebellion from behind the scenes much longer than he had. And there was Commander Sato, Rex, and so many people. He wasn't alone, it was not a burden alone. He still had friends, he still had Sabine...

He caught his breath as he realized. Sabine. Sabine was still here, probably feeling just as lost as him. And he was so full of misery, he didn't even occur to him, that she was as much of a need of a friend, of someone from the Ghost just as much as him.

"Rex, where is Sabine?" Ezra called out to the clone standing next to him, somewhat calmer but now kicking himself on the inside for forgetting about Sabine. "How is she doing?" he asked, privately dreading the answer. The Ghost and its crew was their family, that was what she said when they first met, and now it was the two of them that remained.

Rex looked uncertain for a moment, his hand hovering over Ezra's shoulder, unsure of what to do. His indecision didn't help Ezra's state of mind and he addressed him once again, intent on getting answers.

"You sure you don't want to eat before that, kid? Sabine, she took to grieving a little differently than you." he offered with a grimace. Ezra didn't know what to think, what Sabine was doing if it made even Rex hesitant of approaching.

Still, that didn't mean that he had any hesitation. Sabine was his friend, someone he trusted without a doubt and he couldn't face Kanan or Hera if she let her simmer by herself. He nodded resolutely, ignoring his stomach that tried to remind him that it was a long time since he last ate.

"Alright kid. You won. Come on." tiredly, the clone waved at him to follow, then turned around and started to walk in the opposite direction they were walking.

Ezra was quick to follow him, looking around in curiosity. They were walking toward a part of a base where he didn't spend much time at all. A larger room was before them which was converted into a gym of sorts, where the soldiers could go and work out a little.

Whenever he had Jedi training, Kanan and even Ahsoka preferred to do it outdoors in front of the open space or the base, or inside the Ghost if there was much traffic at the moment and they didn't want to be a bother. The same was too for Rex when the man decided that he needed a little different training from another perspective.

That meant he didn't know what to expect as he followed Rex into the room but it was definitely not the loud foreign-sounding curses that he suspected to be Mandalorian.

Stepping warily into the large room that was packed with various equipment that was used for the training of the body, his eyes zeroed on the most familiar, colorful person in the room. Sabine's teal-colored hair was like a beacon to home, a reminder that all was not lost.

Though, Ezra did had to blink in surprise when he noted that for once she did not wear her armor, something he did not see many times since he knew her. It was so rare, that at one point he honestly thought that she had no other clothes. Imagine his complete shock when he saw her in normal clothes for the first time. Zeb and Chopper had laughed themselves silly seeing his face and even Hera teased him good-naturedly for it.

That's not to say her current clothes were not colorful as was her usual. She wore what was originally grey clothes, a short that reached down to her knees and a small shirt that showed off her midriff. Almost none of the grey was visible, hid behind a cascade of colors, Ezra finding no pattern on them, more like as if some decided to pour buckets of paint on it randomly. Despite that, it gave off a bright, free feeling.

Not to mention it was very form-fitting, showing off Sabine's body in a way that immediately drew his eyes before he looked away with a large blush on his face. He always found Sabine hot, especially in the middle of life or death battles for some reason, a fact that he never tried to make a secret of. He shook his head, regardless, he needed to clear his head and concentrate on Sabine herself. Neither of them needed for his hormones to get in the way.

Taking a deep breath he focused on clearing his mind, a trick he learned from Kanan to be able to connect with the Force more easily. After all, if his head wasn't full of distracting thoughts, it was easier to feel the energy permeating every living being. And while he did not need the Force right now, it was just as useful to get a handle on himself.

Finally, able to properly concentrate he turned back toward Sabine. She was at a punching bag, punching it with a lot of force, that probably could have dented steel from the ferocious expression on her face, accompanied by the occasional pained grunt and curse.

Looking around, he noticed that they were the only ones at the gym, something he found a little odd. Since Sabine had yet to notice them, Ezra turned to Rex with an eyebrow raised in question.

The old clone tried the best to hold back a smile, no doubt he noticed his initial reaction to the Mandalorian's outfit and found it hilarious. Ezra tried to implore with his eyes, to let it go. In the end, Rex shrugged, deciding against tormenting the young Jedi.

"She was here since early morning. At first, she went to the sparring ring but after she beat everyone who dared to face off against her black and blue they decided to leave her alone. She was at the punching back since then." he explained. Ezra felt a frown appear on his face as he looked back to his friend, who has yet to notice them.

"Has anyone tried to talk to her?" he asked quietly, his eyes not leaving Sabine.

"I tried before I went to wake you but it's no use. I thought I leave here a little to cool down. Ahsoka is with Sato, trying to plan what to do next, so she is not available." Rex admitted with a frown.

Ezra shook his head and decided to leave the clone behind. Straightening himself, he walked toward Sabine, feeling a little apprehensive. He knew from experience how dangerous Sabine could be when her temper gets out of control but it did not mean he had any intention of leaving her deal with this alone.

He stopped outside her punching distance, knowing from experience that it was not safe to interrupt a Mandalorian who was focusing on a task. He took a big breath, trying to project a calmness outside that he wasn't feeling himself.

"Sabine." he called out t her with a soft and clear voice.

The reaction was immediate and he felt it and his body reacted on autopilot even before his eyes caught the move. Like an enraged bull, Sabine let a furious warcry as she turned around on the spot sending a punch directly at his face. The Force rang with a warning, and his body moved without conscious thought, leaning to the side and slapping away the arm that almost reached him.

Ezra took a step closer to her, his other hand already in motion to counter when he remembered it was Sabine, not some imperial trooper and he forced himself to stop and look into her eyes, to remind her who he was. But when he caught her eye, he froze as he felt a chill crawl up on his spine.  
Her usually bright, expressive eyes were dark with anger, self-loathing, grief, and many similar opinions, that Ezra felt himself stagger just from the sheer emotional overload he felt through his connection to the Force. Even when things got worse, when Kanan got captured, when they encountered Vader, the hope in Sabine's eyes never faded, on their darkest hours she was the beacon that helped him center himself, to find the will to go forward.

Yet, right now, looking at her, he found none of this.

For a long, dangerous moment they stood frozen, neither moving, only watching the other. Sabine was breathing heavily, a storm of emotions around her, threatening to swallow both of them. Ezra on the other hand was an island of calm, of gentleness, he had to be unless he wanted t swept up by the conflicting emotions that Sabine practically screamed into the Force. Then, when Ezra feared there would be no recognization on those familiar eyes, she blinked.

Her anger disappeared, locked away behind a tight door, giving way to confusion. Soon that was replaced with shock and sadness as she finally realized what almost happened. For Sabine who was always in control, to make such a mistake, even Ezra was caught off guard as it happened.

"Ezra! I-I didn't- I'm sorry." she rambled on with a weak voice, her anger induced rapidly leaving her tired body. She made to step back, to retreat but he was having none of it.

He knew just how tough the walls around her could be when she decided to be stubborn and he wasn't about to miss his only chance before she closed up. He was sure he wouldn't able to get through to her f she did that, and there was no way in the whole galaxy that he will leave her to deal with this situation alone. They were all that remained of his family and he was sure as hell won't lose her to her own grief.

He grabbed her wrist as she was about to pull back her arm, holding it gently but with a firm enough grip that she couldn't just yank her arm out and leave anyway. She must have been really distracted and tired because he couldn't have done this without ending up on the floor with a couple of new bruises otherwise but he will take what he can get.

Their eyes met, and Ezra tried to convey all the feelings, all the thoughts that were running through him, most of those he didn't even have the time to properly understand, leaving himself bare in front of her. Sabine looked at him for a long moment, and he feared that she would still close up, despite his best effort, before she gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod.

Internally slumping in relief, his eyes quickly sought out Rex, who stood in the entrance, politely giving them space while also keeping an eye on them if either of them needed help. Understanding Ezra's questioning look, the old clone smiled at him before nodding his head toward the wall to the right where the first-aid kit was.

Leading her by the wrist he still didn't dare to let go, he pulled Sabine after him, silently directing her to sit down on the bench so he could look at her hands which were bloody, proof of how little control Sabine had. Not saying a word, he grabbed the kit and started to tend to her hands, neither of them saying a word.

"I'm sorry." her weak voice reached him after a few moments, prompting Ezra to look up and meet her eyes, seeing how shaken up she was from what she almost did.

If it was him from a few months ago, he would have laughed at the thought of Sabine being anything like vulnerable or not in control. But she was a human being no matter how badass she was most of the time, she was allowed to show weakness, to be less than perfect.

Back then it took him a little time to learn that, that everyone on the Ghost was a complicated, feeling living being. Even Chopper. All of them had their ups and downs, their reasons to be there, to fight against the empire, their better days and days when they wanted to be simply left alone.

He didn't say anything, only giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, to show he was alright, that he didn't hold it against her, before continuing to treat her hand. She didn't even give a sound when he used disinfectant, prompting a small, barely noticeable smile from him. That was just like her.

When he was done, her injured knuckles were wrapped up in a bandage but he didn't let go, instead holding her hand in both of his, looking up and meeting her still distraught eyes. He tried to give her a reassuring smile but he was aware enough to know it was probably nothing more than a grimace, filled with the hopelessness he felt.

"Sabine, I-" he tried to speak up but words deserted him. He could have said some platitude that he didn't believe but he couldn't. Sabine was his friend, his partner, the last spectre other than himself, he could lie to her like that. "I have no idea what to do." he admitted, his shoulders slumping as he once again felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, dragging him down."I feel so lost like I am drowning and have no idea which way is up. Kanan, Hera...I still can't believe they are gone. I can't believe there is nothing to find, that we are all that left. But as much as I hate it, that's what it is."  
Sabine drew a breath, trying to speak up but Ezra silently pleaded with her to let him finish. He needed to say it, both for her sake and his own, or he could never get it off his chest and could never move forward.

"Part of me, the part that lived alone on the streets of Lothal wants to run away. That was always my default action when I had no idea what else to do." he admitted with a self-deprecating laugh, hating himself for even entertaining the idea to run, to leave everything behind. "But that other part, that sounds suspiciously like Kanan, tells me that I can't do that. Not now, it is time to make a stand." he met her eyes once again, trying to convey everything he couldn't say."We achieved so much, with the others that running now would mean that everything we went through for nothing. I don't want that. But I can't go on alone, not without you. We are all that left of the Ghost," his voice trembled as he finally voiced it, the thought of Kanan and the others were really gone but he went on. "and I want to follow the dream, the rebellion we helped to spark but I can't do it alone."

He didn't realize that he was crying until he felt arms wrap themselves around him and he felt his face resting on Sabine's collarbone as she similarly rested her head on his shoulders. She was shaking with silent sobs, the grief she tried to hide with anger finally breaking out.

"Together." she whispered softly, just to his ears and it was enough. It was a silent promise, to keep fighting, to keep doing what they did.

It felt like a dam broke, Ezra finally lost the fight against his own grief, reciprocating the hug as he began to loudly sob, mourning all that he lost. But amidst all the hurt, he also clung fiercely to what was left.

-0-

Ezra felt as if his head was trying to spit itself into five different parts as he slowly awakened from whatever weird dream he had. For a long moment, he had no idea where he was, what happened, the only thing he knew that his head was killing him and his mouth was drier than the deserts of Tatooine which was saying something.

His neck hurt from the uncomfortable angle he had slept, he seemed to be sitting in some sort of seat, in a vehicle, judging from the feeling of moving and slight jolts that weren't too big to have him fall off his seat.

The sounds around him didn't help his budding headache, various groans similar to the ones he wanted to let out and panicked, whispered conversations that were interrupted by occasional loud demands to shut up.

Finally deciding to bite the bullet and see what kind of situation he was in, he let out a groan to signal that he was awake and opened his eyes to look around. He saw nothing at first because it was dark and along with the headache, he had a hard time focusing on simply looking around.

He tried to lean forward, part to move a little and try to see if he was injured or anything, which e was judging by the small amount of pain he felt from his chest area, and part to get a sense of the people around him but he soon let out a groan as he felt a hard object hit his stomach and pushing him firmly back to his seat.

"Don't try anything funny. You won't like the result of it ." a deep, synthesized voice sounded in front of him, prompting Ezra to open his eyes, not realizing he closed them in the first place when the hit came and looked up, into the black, soulless eyes of a stormtrooper helmet.

Seeing that he made no other move, the trooper sat back on his seat, his grip on his blaster not easing but he still took a relatively less threatening stance, looking over the others to keep them in line.

Ezra sighed through his nose but he was careful not to draw attention to himself, trying to calm down his first instinct to try and knock out the stormtrooper, relaxing his nads which formed into fists. Only then he noticed the cuffs around them, frowning to himself at how he hadn't noticed it at first.

Looking around he noticed that the vehicle he was in was full of groaning, hangover patrons he remembered seeing back at the bar, just before his memories began to blur and the next thing he knew he woke up here. Add to that, he counted five stormtroopers sitting around and keeping the formerly drunk idiots inline

There were various species present, twi'lek, zabrak, a few of the trandoshans who resembled the small group he trashed with a little help earlier, and from the glares directed at him, it was really them. There were spacers, residents, he also spied a few merchants, one of the bith musicians, and a couple of off-work bounty hunters among the group. Seems like the party at Silk's was larger than he thought.

In front of him sat the familiar figure of Griff, the wookie watching him as if he found something really interesting in his groaning, hurting form. His eyes so sober, Ezra doubted he was more than a little tipsy by the time everyone else was flat out drunk.

Catching his eyes, Ezra gave him a subtle nod, some kind of message passing between them that thankfully no one else noticed.

"It must have been a really good party to end up in an imperial transport." he spoke up conversationally, a few people around him looking up at him, fighting similar headaches. "Just what did we do?" he asked as he raised his hands as much as he could to try and massage his throbbing temples.

"Shut it." the stormtrooper to his right ordered immediately but other than that didn't pay any attention to him.

Instead the male on his right, a big, burly Cathar with a large scar disfiguring a large part of his face, who was obviously a smuggler by his clothes, softly laughed at him, giving a nod in greeting when Ezra turned to him.

"Been a while since we had such a big and nice bar fight at Silk's, so no surprise you like everyone is completely wasted. Long story short, everyone was having fun, beating the shit out of each other, until an imperial patrol wandered over and got involved. So they are moving all of us into jail, though we still gave them a beating to remember us for." he explained with a large, menacing grin. For once the stormtroopers opted to not hear his comments, staying silent.

"So it's Tuesday then." was the intelligent reply that came from Ezra. The Cathar laughed gruffly before leaning back in his seat without a care in the world, their conservation over.

He met the eyes of Griff once again as the silence began to settle in the transport as they neared the imperial holding facility in Nar Shadaa. The wookie seemed to give a vicious grin to the former rebel, causing him to lower his head to hide his growing smirk.

Everything was going according to plan.

-0-

HK-51 was looking through the scope of a sniper rifle, its receptors meticulously keeping track of the vehicle that transported the prisoners heading into the holding facility that the Empire had. Given their relatively light presence on the Smuggler's moon, there were not too many imperial bases around, making it easier for it to track them.

As it watched the base's main gate open and admit the vehicle, the hunter-killer lowered the rifle, returning to a stand-by position before turning around and walking to a nearby speeder that was parked out of view.

Aleena was sitting in it, talking to someone through the comm unit on her wrist but stopped when HK walked closer, looking at the droid in a way, that its central module interpreted as expectation.

"Assessment: Mistress, the transport vehicle containing Master and his group arrived at the imperial base without issue. Suggestion: It is advised to continue to the next phase of the plan." the droid stated as it placed its weapon on the back seat and took the seat next to Aleena as she began to drive away to the meeting spot.

While they wade through the busy traffic, HK was turning its head around, taking in all the possible threats to its Mistress, following its secondary protocol as a bodyguard, unless it was given any specific orders. Its receptors also noticed how Aleena was staying silent, her face matching the expression it cataloged as worry, though it was deemed as unnecessary information and HK eliminated the process that was responsible for figuring out the reason for it.

"Let's hope that the other parts of the plan go as well as phase one." its audio receptors caught the whispered words from the togruta spacer, a moment later understanding it was not aimed at the droid and required no reaction.

Privately though, while it continued to scan their surroundings, HK partitioned a small part of its central processing unit to analyze and determine the possible outcome of the plan thought by its Master. After coming to a logical conclusion, it determined that the plan was haphazard, relied largely on chance, luck, and incompetence of the imperials while also had a large percentage of ending badly, probably with the termination of its master.

Though before he could think of voicing this, he was distracted by the result of another process yielded. Using his own extensive memory banks, he reviewed former plans made by its designated master, Dev Morgan, and found them similar in thought process and execution, yet they were successful despite all odds. Based on this information, the probability of the plan completed successfully was much higher than the previous conclusion.

In the end, it was determined that it would serve no purpose to bring up the contradicting conclusions it arrived at and terminated both processes, turning all of his operating power to fulfill its purpose of guarding its Mistress as per the secondary bodyguard protocols.

After all, based on previous situations, even if Master's plans work, it will end up with them being shot at a lot and it had to stay ready for that.


	3. The heist part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter focuses more on the present part of the story but don't worry we will focus on the past too next chapter. From the little scene in this chapter, all of us can tell where I am going with this.
> 
> Also reintroduction of a Rebel character who I genuinely liked and hoped to see more so I decided I would do it myself.

A few hours earlier

"Dev, my friend. I knew you for a long while and I usually trust your judgment but what you propose is even more hare-brained than any of your plans before." Silk told him in an unamused voice, his large arms crossed in front of his chest.

Ezra was talking to SIlk, the both of them sitting in a backroom of Silk's bar, with one of his staff filling in behind the counter. Despite telling his partner that he will get drunk, the former Jedi had a very different agenda in visiting the local watering hole and one of the few people on this moon that he trusted not to betray him for the promise of a quick paycheck.

"Oh come on, I came up with worse plans on the fly all the time. Compared to that, I actually put some thought to this one." Ezra argued as he sipped from his cup, he may have come here for help but that didn't mean he swore to stay away from the good stuff.

"Dev, I like you, you are one of the best freelancer smugglers I use for various jobs, and has the luck a devil that would make any Hutt salivate but I'm gonna be square with you, your plans are so bad usually, I don't know how did you survive up until now." Silk didn't look or sound angry as he stared him down but maybe his calmness was more disheartening than anything.

Silk was one of the best information brokers on the Smuggler's moon and was the best chance for Ezra to find the help necessary to break Rex out of the imperial prison. While the imperial presence was minimal and not that impressive, Ezra lacked the trustworthy crew and resources he knew he needed if he wanted to simply storm the prison and spring them out. That meant he had to use other methods and make up for any shortcoming on the fly.

'His plan gets worse all the time.' a painfully familiar sounded in his head and he closed his eyes, doing his best to close the memory out. It was so tempting getting lost in the memories but he knew well enough it wasn't healthy to live in the past, though his preferred method of dealing with said memories was hardly better.

Despite his best efforts to forget, there wasn't a day that he wasn't thinking about her, the regrets he had regarding what went between them. Part of him was convinced what he did was right, he would have only hurt her if he stayed, yet another hated himself for abandoning her too. Yet, when it mattered he still ran.

'Just hope he doesn't change it again.' despite his best efforts he found himself relieving that memory from so long ago, where everything, even the Force was different as the deep rumble of Zeb's voice echoed around him.

'I'm standing right here.' the grumpy words of his master were the final straw and Ezra chugged down the drink in his hand with the desperation of a drowning man.

There was no point dwelling on memories of a life long past. His family was gone, and the young, hopeful and still naive Jedi padawan was nowhere to see, only Dev Morgan, a scoundrel wanting to live an easy life with plenty of money to go around drinking and just simply be, no rebellion, no Force, no regrets in his mind. Some days, Ezra wondered how many times he had to tell that to himself until he finally believed it?

The drink burned his throat, it was enough to bring him back to the present and help focus on the matter at hand. Opening his eyes, he met the black eyes of his favorite bartender. The older humanoid was watching him with a strange mixture of sympathy and wariness. Not that surprising, he must have looked quite odd at that moment.

Shaking his head, Ezra turned to something he wouldn't have otherwise, a breathing technique that Kanan showed him that helped center and calm him when there was no time or opportunity to mediate. It worked slightly, his head feeling cleaner a few moments later. He needed that to sell his admittedly risky idea to Silk.

"I'll not lie and tell you that it's not personal because it is and I will do it even if I have to go alone. But that doesn't mean it couldn't be profitable for the Hutts and Nar Shadaa as a whole." he told Silk, putting a roguish smirk on his face.

The bartender looked unimpressed but couldn't hide the slight interest. Most things on the smuggler's moon belonged or worked for the Hutts in some way and Silk was no exception. He was a capable information broker with a decent bar that had the protection of the local gang but even then, most of his contracts came from Vogga the Hutt like most people in this sector of Nar Shadaa. And while business wasn't exactly going bad, it could always be better and among many things, Silk was an acute businessman.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked when Ezra didn't continue immediately.

"With the fall of the Republic, the Hutts may have made a lot of profit but it's nowhere near where it's used to be. The Empire, in the end, is all about control, or at the very least an image of control. Just look at the garrison stationed here, it's nothing more than a token force, couldn't force the Hutts from doing anything they didn't want, with the manpower needed elsewhere and the bribes they keep taking. I'm saying let's show them just how true is it." he said with a passionate voice as he stepped forward, arms dramatically raised. "Let's show Nar Shadaa that the Empire can't even stop a ragtag group of scoundrels from breaking out of their prison, the imperials will scramble to cover up the whole thing, which means they will have to bribe and make concessions to the local warlords."

"Looks like that silver tongue is yours haven't changed." Silk commented with an amused snort as he mused over the idea.

He was always good with coming up with plans and over the years he learned how to sell his ideas to various types of people by applying the right incentives. But more than that, he knew how the empire worked thanks to his childhood at Lothal and his time with the rebels. The officers in the imperial garrison wouldn't dare to report the failure to stop a prison break especially if they only lost prisoners with little to no importance. No, they would rather make a deal with the Hutts to try and keep the whole situation silent.

In the middle of the chaos, they wouldn't notice them springing out their rebel prisoners too and by the time they realized that and tried to do anything, hopefully, they would be out of the system.

"What if they do report it?" Silk spoke a moment later after he mused over the idea. "What if the Empire sends a whole fleet here as a show of force?" despite his question, his tone told that both of them suspected the possibility was near zero.

"You underestimate just how cutthroat imperial bureaucracy is. They can't report it because if they do, all of the officers will be demoted to simple stormtroopers if they are lucky enough to survive. As long as they don't realize the significance of the whole prison break, which they won't, they will bribe and silence anyone who would make a fuss." Ezra explained, speaking from experience.

Back on Lothal, the Imperial officers were similar, easily overlooking a few attacks here or there, a lot of the early signs of rebel activity, because they did not want to be held responsible for possible rebels under their jurisdiction. Instead, they did their best to sweep it under the rug, which worked until he and the ghost began to make a name for themselves, and Kallus and the Inquisitor got involved. After that, the lives of those officers were forfeit.

"If it makes my plan sound better, by all means, I will claim responsibility." he continued, giving a winning smile to Silk."By all means, let the Empire chase after me, meanwhile, they won't have time to look into matters here. I was just considering moving on from Nar Shadaa anyway, Aleena and I still can take jobs from you if you send them to us. So what do you say?"

Silk's face was unreadable as he stared Ezra down but he didn't let it discourage him. He knew the broker well enough that if he really didn't believe in his plan, he would have sent him to a warmer climate long before. That meant he was considering it seriously and that's all he needed.

A long moment later he looked up but to Ezra's surprise, he wasn't looking in his direction, but to the other end of the small side-room.

"What do you think?" he asked as a figure stepped out of the conveniently shadowed corner, catching Ezra off-guard.

The figure was a female with green skin and black, line tattoos on her face, short silver, a mirialan. She was armed with two blasters on her hips and walked as someone used to the battlefield. She wore a dark red jacket made of some kind of leather and some kind of high tech visor on her face that covered her eyes mostly. She was dangerous, Ezra felt wary of her as she sauntered toward them like a loth wolf stalking her prey.

It took a lot of self-control on his part not to tense up and act as if there was nothing wrong with the woman suddenly joining into a private conversation. He berated himself, usually, he was much more aware of his surroundings, even if he cheated a very few times by using the force. This whole situation was stressing him enough to drop his guard even a little bit and that did not bode well for him.

He forced a flirty smile on his face as he addressed the mysterious woman as she walked up to them, stopping next to Silk, and looked at him with a calculating eye.

"Silk, you shouldn't have, we would be such a beautiful company, I would have made sure to clean up more properly." he told the bartender who shook his head in a way that told him he wanted to be left out of that conversation. "I think introductions are in order. Dev Morgan, smuggler extraordinaire and the arguably most handsome face around Nar Shadaa. And who would you be my sweet lady? A model? Or a famous actress? I'm pretty sure that I saw that pair of thick tights somewhere before."

The woman gave him a glare that told her how unamused she was by that terrible pick-up line before turning to Silk, ignoring him completely, which suited Ezra just fine.

People underestimated you if all they saw was a faux-suave playboy, and while he liked and trusted Silk to an extent it wasn't true for his contacts. Whoever this woman was she must be someone high if Silk wanted her counsel, so it's best to stay on his guard, especially since she was obviously skilled herself.

"Is he really as reliable as you make him out to be? From what I have seen so far, I don't think he would be able to accomplish it." she asked from Silk, behind them Ezra raised an eyebrow, wondering what they could be talking about.

Smirking to himself, the four-armed alien shot Ezra an amused look, before turning back to the mirialan, his face serious.

"Dev may have his quirks but that's true to any scoundrel who ever amounted to anything. Despite his attitude, he is a professional in the middle of the job, has a good knack for improvising, and has the luck of the devil. If you ask me, out of all the freelancers that I have as my contacts, he is the only one I can promise that not only will be able to come through but also not to double-cross you. His horrible luck with women aside, he is Vogga's best bet for the job, unless he makes a deal with Jabba to get Solo for the job." the bartender offered and though Ezra felt a little lost on the exact topic, he knew as well that last bit won't happen. Hutts are very prideful, and even if Vogga could lower his pride, hiring Jabba's smuggler would be quite pricey.

"Hello? Confused and incredibly handsome smuggler here. Can someone enlighten me on what are we talking about? Since you are obviously talking about me." Ezra cut in with a note of genuine confusion in his voice.

The woman, who by the sound of it was working for Vogga, didn't even turn him, only frowning at the four-armed information broker, before she walked a little to the side, pulling out a communicator and quietly began to talk into it. Catching the imploring look sent at his way, Silk only smirked before taking pity on him and started to explain quietly.

"Her name is Auren and she is one of Vogga's top lieutenants. Vogga has a big job, a lot of risks but a big payout and he needs a smuggler who could be trusted. Well, I advised they get you." a sly smirk grew on the larger man's face. "This is your in to the big leagues, kid. You do this job and you could even become Vogga's exclusive smuggler. There would be no end for jobs for you, even if you have to avoid Nar Shaada for the time being."

"How much money are we talking about?" he asked, leaning closer to the bartender, obviously interested.

"Let's just say enough that even with the amount that you drink, you would be able to drink for a few years with just that to your tab." at that, Ezra let out an impressed whistle, that was not a small amount of money."Originally the job I talked about with you was supposed to be a test run to see how you work but guess the situation is changing. I'm guessing your cut will be smaller if they end up helping you with this rescue of yours."

"So a lot of money or friendship. You're not making it easy for me." Ezra joked holding up two hands, mimicking scale before putting them down with a small laugh. "And for being my primary contact, I assume you would get a nice finder's fee from this and future contracts?" he guessed with a raised eyebrow.

Silk's smile was all toothy at that as he nodded enthusiastically. After all, before anything he was a shrewd businessman who had quite a good position in the deadly game of politics that was the Hutt underworld.

"Now you are getting it. Of course, there's a bit of a risk on my part if you end up failing but I wouldn't have put your name forward if I had any doubts. So do me a favor and don't fuck it up or both of us are rancor food." he told him semi-seriously.

"Aw, I'm going to tear up, this is so touching." the teen wiped away a fake tear from his eye. "I know I didn't tell you before but Silk, I look at you as a father figure and I learned so much from you." at that the both of them started laughing quietly, the air of seriousness momentarily gone.

"Enough fooling around." the strict voice of Auren ended their little fn as she walked back to them, glaring at them. Or at least Ezra presumed she was glaring at them, visor blocking her eyes and all that."The great and generous Vogga arrived to a decision. In return for approving this prison break of yours and even aiding it, he has a very sensitive job that he needs you to complete. You will be paid less than you would have been originally but I assure you it will be more than worth your while along with clearing this debt with the Hutts." he added the last part with a bit of a distaste just as Ezra opened his mouth to ask just that.

"Where and when will be the job? Any information that you could tell me beforehand?" he instead asked in a slightly more professional manner. Next to him Silk silently mouthed the words 'told you so'.

Instead of answering directly Auren pulled out a small object from a pouch on her belt and threw it at the smuggler, who fumbled with it before he was able to grab it firmly. Looking at it with curiosity, he found it to be a small holo-communicator and not a cheap version either.

"Go to Florrum in the Sertar Sector in 7 of that planet's rotations. You will be contacted then and will be provided all the necessary nothing more." she stated in a stern tone.

Ezra smirked as he pocketed the communicator and stepped up to Auren, looking into her visor confidently. He may respect her apparent ability and be wary around her, it was a long shot from being intimidated by her.

"I expect to be told all the relevant information or I wouldn't be able to do my job properly. So none of that not telling what I'm transporting and idiocy like that. My silence is included in the price but I need to know what I'm working with so I can act accordingly." he told her seriously. Auren stayed silent for a moment, before giving a small barely noticeable nod. Smiling, he stepped away from her, walking back to his previous spot and refilling his drink. "Then we have a deal, you got my services. But first, your side of the deal."

"What is it you require?" she asked through the reluctance could be easily heard in her voice. It was clear for Ezra she wasn't very impressed with him and probably was against helping him but she had her orders.

"I know Vogga basically controls the traffic around this half of the moon, so I need his men to thin the ongoing traffic around the imperial prison so my crew can fly in and extract us, pointing all imperial attention to my leaving ship. I also need two people from you who can shoot straight and are up for risking their lives to break into and out of a prison, if they have a little demolition knowledge it wouldn't hurt. I also need a humanoid male who is familiar with imperial regulation and can aim at least as well as a stormtrooper." he said the last part with a snicker, Silk joining him despite trying to hold back his amusement. "And I'll need all of that, in about 3 hours."

"I will make arrangements. I assume you plan to immediately leave Nar Shaada after the breakout. How would the men we send you get back to us?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. In response Ezra simply shrugged.

"There will be enough chaos that they could leave with the rest of the inmates we bailout. The imperial forces would concentrate too much on me and my ship to mount anything to stop them. Your people can have a vehicle ready right?" he asked, earning another nod from the green-skinned woman."In that case, send them here to Silk's bar."

"Wait why are you gathering in my bar?" the bartender who decided to stay out of the discussion for the time being asked with a suspicious tone. As far as he knew him, despite playing the part of the fool, Dev rarely did something without reason and it did not bode well for his humble establishment.

"Thanks for reminding me, if possible I need your contacts to nudge the imperial patrol a little closer to the cantina in a few hours." he told Auren who simply raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was planning before giving a simple nod putting a communicator to her ear. "Silk, ready your best drinks because we are about to have the decade's most chaotic party and subsequent bar fight tonight." he told him with a cheeky grin before emptying his cup.

As the implications dawned on him, Silk raised one hand to his head and began to massage his temple in an effort to ward off the incoming headache.

"The reparations will be added to your tab." he added sternly but nonetheless stood up, ready to go back to the counter and enjoy these last minutes of peace.

"Well it looks like I have a job lined up that will pay well enough, so I'm not worried." Ezra grinned before grabbing a nearby bottle and following after Silk."Time for a party."

Auren was left alone in the backroom, looking in the direction the two men went. After making sure they were really gone and no one was listening in, she brought out a second communicator and softly talked into it.

"I found a possible lead. I will investigate it properly before forwarding my findings."

-0-

Duck!

Ezras senses screamed at him and without even understanding why he was doing it, the young padawan ducked, avoiding a saber he forgot to account for, just slashing at the space where his head was. He furiously backed away, raising his lightsaber in front of his body to parry the second blade of his opponent. He was running out of place to retreat and he was so overwhelmed he couldn't really think what to do.

Ahsoka stopped in front of him, not pressing her advantage. Her face was a mask of calm, looking as if it was carved from stone. Unlike Ezra, who was panting heavily and sweat covered his body, she showed no evidence of their training tiring her even a little bit. She just stood there with her lightsabers held at her side in a relaxed manner.

She looked like it required no effort for her to defeat him and it angered him, despite knowing very well that he didn't have a chance in the first place. After all, she was a veteran of the Clone Wars and survived the years of the rise of the empire, and Ezra saw her essentially toying with two inquisitors with barely any trouble while he was barely able to go toe to toe with one. And since they seemed to work in pairs nowadays, facing them was only a good idea when he had Kanan with him,

A large feeling of helplessness surged through him at the thought of his master and Ezra gritted his teeth as he tried to block it out, to concentrate in the here and now but he simply couldn't do it. It still happened on occasions when he was confronted with the loss of the Ghost and most of its crew, he was just simply overwhelmed by the sheer responsibility of continuing after their loss, after he lost the directions they gave him. It was just too much.

Ahsoka didn't capitalize on his loss of concentration, choosing to simply stand there and watch him silently. It honestly angered him a little that she thought so little of him that she didn't even register him as a proper opponent.

"You are fairly competent in the defensive form III but it's not enough especially against another force user. That form is primarily to deal with blaster fire but you can easily find yourselves overwhelmed. You have to take the initiative, move around and attack otherwise you won't find the hole in your opponent's defense much less create an opportunity to exploit it." she lectured with a calm, clear voice. She seemed to simply offer advice for him, to grow and learn but at that moment all that was able to accomplish is to anger Ezra even more.

It's just become too much at that moment. He learned so little from Kanan, his training was nowhere near complete yet here he was, expected to step into his master's shoes and lead the charge. No one said anything explicitly but he caught the looks from Sato and a few of the other officers from time to time. Like they expected him to simply ignite his lightsaber, raise it as a grand gesture of readying the men and charge directly at the nearest imperial base, reminding him of some of the stories Rex indulged him about the Clone Wars. Like with him alone they could change the tide, defeat the inquisitors, make the empire run back into the core worlds. But he couldn't. They couldn't when they still had Kanan, Hera, Zeb, and Chop, so why would it be any different?

He tried to stay strong, for Sabine's sake who similarly to him still had trouble accepting what happened, for the memory of his family but even he had breaking points. He simply just found it right now.

With a snarl on his face, he readjusted his grip on his lightsaber, both hands on it now, before he jumped forward in a reckless charge.

"How's that for an initiative?" he demanded as he sent an overhead strike at the togruta, that was easily blocked and pushed to the side by her right saber.

Ezra didn't let himself be defeated so easily. He ducked low, parrying the second blade with an unstable stance but managed to secure his footing well enough to be able to press his attacks, sending a flurry of fast but predictable slashes at his teacher.

Fighting against someone with two blades was tricky. The blades moved independently from each other as if they had minds of their own. He couldn't take your eyes off of either of them, even for a moment or it would be instantly over.

He thought before that the Inquisitors with their double-bladed lightsaber were tricky but aside from the first one they encountered, neither of the inquisitors were overly skilled. Oh sure, they were more skilled than him and they were problematic to deal with, especially the rotating mode but in the end that was only a gimmick and he was able to at least end up with a draw against them most of the time.

Ahsoka was completely different. Every little movement served a purpose, even he could see there was hardly any flair or wasted movement to her fighting style. It was obvious to everyone she had no trouble to counter the best of his abilities, and while he knew he was never expected to win against her, it still frustrated him and made him charge forward with abandon to at least land a hit on her.

He almost heard Kanan's scolding voice in his ear, telling him to fall back and think of a way to circumvent Ahsoka's defense, to not commit a fruitless attack but he dismissed it. His master was not here to give him advice, a red haze filled his visions and blocked out all rational thought. The feelings he had been bottling up for the last few weeks to the best of his ability came forth, overwhelming him, causing the dam to finally break. He couldn't stop even if he wanted to.

"Ezra, you won't achieve anything with attacking wildly like that. Calm down, center yourself." Ahsoka called out to him, even as she effortlessly blocked another attack of his, that didn't manage at all to calm him.

"Shut up." he roared as he raised his saber for another easily telegraphed overhead strike.

As expected, the older force user raised her right saber to parry the attack and most probably send it to the side, to make him lose his footing again but this time the results would be different. Despite his enraged state, Ezra did have a plan in mind, a very risky gamble that he wouldn't have tried if he was thinking straight.

Just as their blades were about to meet, Ezra's blade extinguished itself, Ahsoka parrying nothing but air as Ezra raised the barrel part of his saber straight at her chest. The distance between them was around the length of a blade and while she could easily end the spar with a swish of her blade, she was also in one of the worst positions to block his shots.

She hesitated, either because she didn't want to harm him when he left himself so open or just simply surprised by his move but Ezra used his only chance and let out 3 short shots with his gun. Even then at such a close range, the shot couldn't deliver much more damage than a stronger electric shock, perfect to incapacitate his opponent but dealing no lasting harm. As soon as the shots were fired, he quickly reignited his lightsaber, lunging forward, planning to use the opening in Ahsoka's defense that deflecting the shots will create.

Ezra almost tasted victory when Ahsoka's reaction left him completely flabbergasted. Instead of trying to block the shot or jumping back she instead spun. She spun her body to the right, practically dancing her the way out of his shots' path. She did it so gracefully, so easily that Ezra stopped for a moment in sheer amazement, forgetting about the spar.

He was quickly punished for this lapse of judgment as Ahsoka coming out of her spin immediately sent her sword towards Ezra, who was only barely able to raise his lightsaber to parry it with a grunt. he tried to get back the advantage but that was the moment that he made a mistake that cost him the spar.

He simply forgot for a moment about Ahsoka's second saber. He was so focused on attacking, on not letting his charge let up, that he didn't notice it until it was too late the silver blade sent toward his hand.

He tried to move out of the way but he was not fast enough. Ahsoka's blade caught him at the worst, causing him to let out a painful hiss as his weapon fell out of his hand, deactivated and he cradled his stinging wrist with his good hand.

Of course, their sabers were set to a low-powered training setting, that would cause burns at most. It wasn't pleasant by any means but they could fight without fearing that an errant swing could sever a limb.

Letting out a sigh, Ezra silently berated himself for getting careless before raising his head toward Ahsoka, only to meet her blade pointed right between his eyes with a neutral-looking Ahsoka staring at him. A moment later she deactivated her sabers before reaching a hand toward him, silently asking for permission.

Knowing what she wanted, he raised his hurt arm towards her, letting her inspect the burn. His pride stung a little at having lost, though he knew there was hardly an unexpected outcome. Ahsoka was a veteran of the clone wars, padawan of Anakin Skywalker, who was a walking badass according to both Kanan and Rex while he was just a young kid with barely more than a year of training under his belt.

While some would say he was very good for what little training he received, he was by no means under the impression he was some kind of prodigy who would be able to take on full-fledged Jedi without a problem. Both Kanan and Ahsoka made sure to cure him of delusions like that, if his encounter with that Sith Lord, Vader wasn't enough.

"Thankfully the burn doesn't look too bad. Put a bacta patch on it later and you would be good to go." she said as she gently released his hand and stepped away with a small smile on his face."You did well today. You lasted longer than I thought, Kanan was a thorough teacher, your form III while a little unorthodox to the traditional form works well with your mindset."

Even if he was still angry and sour at his loss, Ezra couldn't help but be a little proud. Despite what he said, Kanan was an excellent teacher, maybe because they had similar personalities but he was able to pass on the knowledge in a way that made it easier for him to absorb.

"But you made one very big mistake." she continued and even though he knew she was saying it for his sake, it didn't really make it easier. "You let your anger control you, blind you. You attacked recklessly and I could exploit any of the openings you provided." she sighed as she put a hand on his shoulder, even as he did his best not to look at her, his temper barely held under a mask of calm."I've been where you are. It feels so good to let loose your anger but it's a slippery road. You can't rely on your anger, it will lead-"

"Because anger leads to the dark side and all that." Ezra cut her off rudely as he stomped away after calling his weapon into his good hand with the force. He suddenly felt claustrophobic, and wanted nothing more than just leave."Kanan told me all of that, you don't need to repeat."

"Ezra." Ahsoka called out sternly, stopping him in his tracks. A moment later her face softened slightly as she continued."I don't want you to repress your feelings. This is one thing I think the old Jedi Order had wrong. My master taught me not to repress my emotions, that there were times when they could give me the strength needed to survive. But don't let them control you. Ezra. When you are in a pinch that anger you feel could give you the strength you needed but if you simply let it flow without control it will blind you, just as it did now."

Ezra didn't say anything but he also stopped trying to leave, his shoulders slumping as the anger left him just as quickly as it appeared. He felt drained and lost, just like when he was a kid, trying to survive on Lothal's cold streets in the middle of winter.

"You and I, we had different paths, different ways to look at the Force." she continued in a soft voice."I cannot tell you what to do, I can only advise and guide you, the rest is up to you. But I believe you can persevere through these challenges and do you know why? Because I can already see the great Jedi you could be. It took me a bit of time to see what Kanan already saw from the beginning. You have a great heart Ezra, so selfless despite all the trials you went through. It is your greatest strength, embrace it but do not let it control you. Be the Jedi that Kanan knew you will become."

Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have been able to stop the tears that spilled out at Ahsoka's sincere words. To think his master such a high opinion of him, despite always being sparse with his praise, made all the weight his shoulders bore lately worth it. After such heartfelt words, he owned Kanan, nothing but his very best.

He was a little thankful that he was still showing his back to Ahsoka, who doubtlessly heard his soft sobs but he wanted to preserve as much of his pride as possible. He rather not look like a crybaby in front of others but he figured he could be forgiven for being human this once.

"Yeah. I will be." he agreed before awkwardly clearing his throat and trying to change the subject as his tears finally stopped coming."Do we leave tomorrow? For Mandalore?"

He didn't need to look back to know that the togruta had an indulging smile on her face as she answered.

"Yes, we delayed enough because of circumstances outside our control. If we want to uncover the answers we seek, we should move as soon as possible."

"Will it be only the two of us?" he asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice that he would forever deny as he turned back to her.

"Ideally I would have wanted only the three of us to go, so non-force users wouldn't be in danger but with the way things are," she didn't have to say, the loss of Kanan and the rest of the Ghost changed a lot of their plans. "I requested Sabine and Rex to accompany us, we will need all the support we can get."

If he was honest, Ezra didn't want Sabine there, he remembered how badly they fared when they encountered a full-fledged sith lord and he didn't want her to be in danger. But at the same time, how foolish this thought was in the first place. Sabine was a tough, stubborn girl, a real fighter. He trusted her enough to know her limits and risk her life for nothing, not to mention she would sock him in the face for trying to shield her. Whether he liked it or not, Sabine was a Mandalorian and he learned that you never tell a Mandalorian what to do.

"Get some rest, Ezra." Ahsoka said as she checked her comm unit, apparently, someone needed to talk to her. "You will need it for tomorrow." with a last, encouraging smile to him she turned around and hurried out of the room.

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

-0-

"Ouch. Give the hungover man a little slack, it's not easy to get out of this death machines." Ezra grumbled after the stormtrooper thrust his blaster harshly into his side when he was too slow at getting out of the troop transport that brought them into the imperial base on Nar Shadaa.

"Move along or get shot, scum." was the none too kind answer he got in response as his escort threatened to hit him again. Grumbling Ezra complied, holding up his shackled hands in a sign of surrender.

The imperial base was the same bland and grey soulless structure that was true for all imperial bases across the galaxy. It seemed the Empire didn't really like individuality of any form. The only difference between this and other bases was that it was almost comically smaller compared to most. Even the Lothal main imperial holding was larger and had more staff than this one and you can't find more of a backwater planet than Lothal with an imperial presence.

As he and the other perpetrators of the bar fight were led further into the base, he made sure to look around carefully. The imperials stationed in the base remained calm and bored, acting as if nothing interesting happened here. From what he saw they didn't have much in the way of larger weapons, like walkers or heavy artillery. The empire either banked on their reputation or their deals with the Hutts to protect them from a possible attack on the Smuggler's moon. Either way, they were about to get a rude awakening.

They lined up in front of an officer who wore the customary dark grey uniform of the empire. He was a man in his late thirties, slightly overweight with a large mustache covering his face. He looked down at them with disdain in his little, beady eyes. In stark contrast to most military officers Ezra encountered before, this one stood in a lazy, unprofessional stance as he looked over them. How he was deemed fit for military duty in the first place was a mystery in and of itself.

By the stripes on the chest of his uniform, it was clear the man before them was a simple lieutenant, surprising considering that the stormtroopers and other personnel around seemed to treat him like he was in charge of the base. Though, judging that the base was maintained by more or less a skeletal crew it made some kind of sense. Higher rank, in the imperial mindset, equaled higher competence and they would place their more useful men at more important positions.

The man got placed here either as punishment, so he would have no chance to advance his rank, or he was handed an easy, cushy job with little to no work involved, courtesy of a family member or friend from

higher up the chain of command.

The lieutenant looked at the hungover and disheveled group, consisting of around 10 people with 4 stormtroopers guarding them. He didn't try to hide his apparent disgust, especially when his eyes landed on the non-humans, though Ezra felt similarly disgusted by the man. He clearly smelled, his uniform was full of grease stains and his mustache had a small piece of meat stuck in it.

"Trooper, what is this commotion?" he demanded as the group stopped before him, the troopers all standing at attention.

A moment later the leader of the squad, a trooper with a bright orange pauldron on his left shoulder spoke up.

"Lienatuant Holt, sir, this is patrol 531. We caught reports of a small fight erupting in Sector 3-C-8. We arrived at Silk's cantina, finding this lot in a middle of a bar fight. Upon our arrival, they reacted aggressively to our presence and started to provoke us into a fight. Before long they attempted to attack us when we stunned them and took them to custody." explained the lead trooper, with his back straight and his voice barely more than a monotone.

Absentmindedly, Ezra wondered how did the empire train his troopers to sound so soulless every time they opened his mouth. He was so distracted by his wayward thoughts that he only noticed the attention aimed at him when the trooper to his right, who enjoyed hitting him with his blaster so much, thrust the weapon into his ribs, electing a pained groan from him.

"Pay attention when the lieutenant talks to you, scum." the trooper ordered in a threatening tone.

"Get off my back, man. I just had a wild night and a killer headache to boot. Not to mention instead of spending my night with those twi'lek twins I was chatting earlier, I have to stare at your ugly, imperial mugs. I would rather have a lobotomy than this."

His words got stuck in his throat, when lieutenant Holt stepped forward with an enraged expression, punching him on the stomach. The punch itself was sloppy with no proper stance but it still managed to drive out the air from his lungs and he hunched forward as his body instinctively tried to move away from the blow. He was used to much harder punches from his drinking buddies but it didn't mean it didn't hurt at all.

"What's with that punch? My crippled grandmother could punch harder." Ezra quipped with a smirk, refusing to show weakness in front of the imperials.

For his efforts, he was rewarded by the trooper hitting the back of his head with the butt of his weapon, causing him to fall forward, almost on top of the lieutenant, who clumsily stepped out of the way, looking on his downed form as if he was a cockroach.

"Enjoy your place on the ground, that's where scum like you belong." Holt spat before turning back to the patrol. "Take them away to the prison block. Let them rot away for a week, those who are important enough would be bailed out by then. As for the rest will be put to death." he told them cruelly, laughing at the outraged cries coming from some of the prisoners. After that, he simply signaled for the trooper to lead them away before turning around and walking away quickly as if being in their mere presence was disgusting for him.

The feeling was mutual, Ezra thought, feeling as if he was greasy all over just from being in the presence of that stellar example of imperial incompetence. He started to get up when he was not too kindly probed in the ribs by a plated shoe. In the end, the Cathar that sat next to him on the transport had to help him stand up, Ezra wincing as his side which didn't really heal from the beating he got earlier in the day flared up with pain.

"Thanks." he muttered as they began herding them out of the hangar and toward the prison block.

"Don't mention it." the slightly older man told him with a small chuckle that was soon silenced by the stormtroopers.

"Get going." they did as ordered, joining the rest of the prisoners, who were formed into two vertical lines, with three stormtroopers leading from the front and three others guarding them on the back.

Ezra and the Cathar male, who was named Carm, one of Vogga's low-profile enforcers, shared a secretive smirk as they joined the end of their respective lines. Unknebost to their guards, while he was helped up, Ezra sneakily passed a magnetic keycard to the Cathar, which he was able to steal from Holt's belt when he almost fell on him. And no one ever noticed a thing.

They were marched toward the prison block in silence, no one saying a word, the prisoners trying to understand just what kind of trouble they ended up or trying to think through the hangover and the troopers not feeling up to any talk, even taunting their prisoners, in this early hour.

Arriving at a lift that would take them deeper down into the small complex, the patrolmen had to find out that the elevator was hardly able to carry 16 people, one wookie among them at once. After a quick discussion, half of the prisoners were led into it, with 3 guards while the second group waited for their turn. Thankfully both Ezra and Cram ended up in that group, either by design or luck.

A minute later the elevator came back and they herded into it. One trooper stood in the front, near the control, while two stood on the two sides of the prisoners, weapons out but not pointed at them. They obviously weren't expecting any resistance from them, relaxing their guard slightly. It was a slight opening but that was all Ezra needed.

"Man these imperial bases are always so dull. I mean, sparkly white stormtrooper armors, dull grey uniforms, and those lifeless grey walls all around you. How do you guys stand it on a day to day basis?" he asked in a curious tone as the elevator began to move.

The stormtrooper didn't say anything, though the one in front of him shifted slightly, his stance betraying his annoyance at the chatty smuggler. Ezra bit back a smile as he continued to talk.

"I mean I could understand if all of you were colorblind, all that grey wouldn't be a bother but surely not all of you are right? Or are you? Is this the new recruiting requirement at the empire? Colorblind or extreme lack of taste required to stand the imperial decor policy." a few of his fellow prisoners couldn't help but let out small laughs at that. Among smugglers, it was almost a sport to insult imperials the most imaginative way they could whenever they encountered them and Ezra was nothing if not creative.

"Shut up already. Or you won't like the consequences." the trooper turned half-way toward him, his annoyance radiating in the force so strong that even the former padawan who tried his best to block out the connection could easily feel it.

"No need to bite my head off, man. Just trying to pass the time. If I have to suffer, who knows how long in an aesthetically unappealing complex such as this, at least let me complain about it to my heart's content. I mean, I didn't even start on that buckethead of yours. I mean what's the deal with that? Do you use it as a bowl to eat or what?" he asked with growing amusement, the laughter around him slowly raising in volume much to the trooper's annoyance.

Finally losing the last remains of his patience, the trooper he was mouthing off to turned around, pointing his blaster at him angrily.

"One more word from you and I'll show you what imperial hospitality means, you insigni-" he began to rant but was soon cut off as Ezra charged into him.

Using his distracted state, he shoulder-checked the annoyed trooper, eliciting a pained grunt from him as he was plastered into the wall. While Ezra doubted he was able to deal any real damage to him, the chest plate of a stormtrooper while did nothing against a blaster or a lightsaber at least guarded well enough against blunt attacks that all he accomplished with his attack was that the trooper was disoriented and having a little harder time breathing. But it was more than enough for what he needed.

He grabbed the blaster out of the trooper's hand, making sure to keep him squished to the door, he raised the weapon toward the stormtrooper to his left.

Both guards were caught off-guard and too slow to properly act. They didn't even have time to raise their weapons by the time Ezra took possession of the blaster and aimed.

"Get down." someone shouted and the prisoners, as expected of scoundrels and smugglers whose greatest ability was self-preservation, all threw themselves to the floor.

A bolt of plasma flew through the air, hitting one of the troopers in the center of their chest plate, blackening it as the plasma burned through it without any resistance, throwing back the imperial who was already dead by the time he reached the floor.

The other trooper, while horrified and clearly panicking, still had enough presence of mind to raise his weapon towards Ezra who knew he couldn't shoot him before the trooper shot him. He was prepared to jump to the side and the one trooper who was still struggling behind him took the shot but was proved to be unneeded.

Carm whose cuffs were opened up, thanks to the magnetic card Ezra grabbed from the officer, suddenly grabbed the blaster out of the trooper's hands, using its butt to instantly knock him out. As he adjusted his grip on the blaster the Cathar gave a nod to Ezra.

Smirking, he suddenly let go of the struggling man and used his elbow to hit the side of this helmet. While the chest plate could be useful in some situations, the bucket-like helmet, aside from intimidation, couldn't be used for much else, since if anything, it made it easier for others to knock out the troopers.

Bonelessly, the trooper fell to the ground, while Ezra simply stepped over him while Carm stepped over and unlocked his cuff. After a silent discussion, the Cathar went to release the other prisoners who were watching them warily, trying to judge if what they doing was brilliant or idiotic. The former padawan meanwhile he picked up the discarded blaster and trained it on the door, just as the elevator finally arrived at the prison block.

Slowly the doors opened, Carm, Ezra and rough-looking twi'lek who picked up the third rifle got ready to fire but it seemed the situation was handled. Griff stood over the downed form of two stormtroopers, smirking at the new arrivals. Out of the two troopers, one seemed to have a slightly smoking helmet while the other's head rested at an unnatural angle.

The other prisoners stood behind the wookie, trying to determine their chances if they just took off. The third stormtrooper stood lazily next to Griff, blaster hanging at his side with no hint of hostility in him.

Took you long enough." the trooper greeted Ezra, who could hear the smirk even though the helmet."I was getting worried you lost your touch."

"Please, these guys never stood a chance." he returned the smirk as they stepped out of the lift.

"Who are you guys? Just what's going on here?" one of the prisoners, a tall, thin kid with the left half of his face full of various implants, asked as two other prisoners moved to grab a free weapon for themselves.

Ezra shared a quick look and a nod with Carm and Griff, both moving to one end of the corridor they were in, to keep a lookout. Another look at his trooper ally, the man lazily saluted as he stepped back, all the prisoners looking at Ezra for answers.

Seeing all the attention focused on him, Ezra gave a charming smile as he dramatically raised his arms.

"Why, of course, we are breaking into and out of a prison. Heads up gents, we are making history today. Today, the empire will learn how the game is played on Nar Shadaa." he told them and it was a good sign that all of them were listening attentively."You have a choice. You can lay low and try to get out during all the chaos and confusion or you can come with me and show the galaxy that the criminals of Nar Shadaa cannot be chained by the empire."

The prisoners looked at each other, indecision on most of their faces but a moment later determination filled most of them, before every one of them turned toward him and gave a resolute nod.

"Glad to hear it. Let's get going." Ezra said with a small smile, pointing toward the corridor Carm was keeping watch. As the newly freed prisoners began to move, it left Ezra and the trooper alone for a moment.

"Looks like your rousing speeches are still as inspiring as ever." the trooper commented with a mirthful laugh as he stepped next to the former rebel.

"Well you know if you got the talent, then use it." he answered with a cocky smirk before it turned into a scowl. "Did you have to hit me so many times? I got a beating earlier today, not to mention the bar fight, I so did not need this. Are you angry at me or anything?" he asked since he did have the ability to piss people off with frightening ease.

The trooper chuckled at that as he reached up to remove his helmet, revealing a familiar face. Dark skinned with brown eyes and black hair that was short still in a military-style despite his actual time away from the imperial army. Just like Ezra he also matured in the years since they last met, cutting quite a dashing image.

"You didn't get soft on me, did you?" he asked back as he smirked at his old friend in a teasing way."My old academy Dev Morgan wouldn't be hurt from a little playing around."

„Do you really call it playing around? I worry for you." the former Jedi shook his head but couldn't help but smile fondly. "Zane Leonis, just how did you end up here in Nar Shadaa." he wondered out loud.

"It's a long story. You?"

"Even longer story. I guess I will tell you sometime." he said before raising his stolen blaster."Let's move out."


End file.
